For more than a century Beryl Andresen's family has been growing a South African vegetable that most people have probably never heard of. And Beryl has vowed that the cupalo will continue to grace family tables for many years to come.
Beryl's great-grandparents (or great-great - she wasn't sure which) had brought the seeds to New Zealand after stopping off in South Africa when they emigrated from England. It's greatest champion in recent years had been her uncle Vince Eales, who had long been growing it at Ahipara, and reckoned one particularly robust specimen had weighed in at a smidgen under 10 kilos.
The one she showed off to Northland Age staff last week was a relatively puny 6.6kg, but impressive nonetheless.
The flesh was "a bit squishy," she said, but Vince mixed it with apple, apricot or peaches to make pies that by all accounts were delectable. This was the first time she had grown the pumpkin in her Kaitaia garden, she added. Vince was afraid it would disappear, but she could now assure him that it would not.
